Likuliku Lagoon Resort

This was our second visit in less than a year, and it didn't disappoint! Read my previous review as all sentiments are the same, excellent food and pure relaxation - a perfect spot to regroup and unwind. The snorkelling off the beach is wonderful with all the coral and fish life. The trip to honeymoon island was well worth it and the snorkelling around the island was stunning.

We chose this resort for our first visit Fiji. We were looking for a week of rest, warmth, and tranquility and the property delivered these things 100 %. Our choice of room was Bure with its own plunge pool and right on the beach. The room was spacious, well appointed and beautifully clean. All the staff are Fijian and very friendly and welcoming. Staff went out of their way to make themselves known and to know our first names. It was not long before we were called by our names by all with whom we had contact. This applied to waiters, activities staff, gardners and housekeeping. It made the whole week a lovely experience. One may choose to active or just live in "Fiji Time" and do nothing but enjoy the atmosphere, the excellent food and recharge. The resort is reached by sea from Port Denarau and our choice was a speedboat which took around 45 minutes. Alternatives are helicopter and float plane which we will explore for our next visit because we will be back!

This would have to be the best resort I have been to anywhere in the world and I can't believe it has taken be this long to get there. Only a short 3.5 hour flight from Sydney and then a spectacular 10min helicopter ride to the resort. It was my birthday so we decided to splurge a little.. From the moment you arrive, you are greeted by the friendliest people in the world and everyone greets you personally by your name everywhere you go. It makes you feel so special and treasured as guests. We stayed in their cheapest rooms - the garden bungalow - but they were still spectacular with beautiful ocean views and very close to the water. The rooms are huge and you can see the ocean from your bed. The only thing I would have liked would be a set of stairs leading directly out from the deck onto the garden for easy sea access but a very minor thing. And the deck.. stunning for an afternoon glass of wine watching the sunset with your own huge day bed for two! One other thing is that there are heaps of mossies at sunset as you would expect near a lagoon so stock up on your repellant. The overwater bungalows looked amazing and we would definitely splurge on this next time as the glass floors looking into the ocean is a rare treat anywhere! Now the food! The food! The food! This chef is a creative genius. Every meal was a taste sensation with fresh, high quality produce and creative flair added to each dish. We were completely blown away. Some of the best food I have had anywhere in the world. We are at another 5 star resort now in Fiji and the food is 2 star in comparison to Liku! The lagoon. Absolutely stunning! No words! Fish and sea life everywhere right off the jetty. Fantastic snorkeling. The water is crystal clear and it feels like you are staying on a movie set, it is so much like paradise. The people are absolutely beautiful. So warm and friendly. The service is outstanding. Sometimes a little slow but what's the rush! The singing boys were fabulous at lunch and dinner. One thing to point out is that this is a couples only resort and it is a very quiet, peaceful environment. No parties or late nights going on here! We only had 4 days here but 7 would have been perfect! Love love love this place and we will definitely be back !!

We have been tripping to Fiji for some years and decided to visit an outer island and more of a boutique hotel. Likuliku Lagoon Resort was simply fantastic. A short seaplane ride or helicopter direct from Nadi domestic airport, 5 minutes walk from Nadi International airport. Beautiful beach front bures and if you wish to indulge, an over the water option. The level of service from the staff was professional and friendly. Everyone has a smile and is happy. The resort is very quiet, peaceful and relaxing. The lagoon in the front offers fantastic sea water swimming opportuinty and is tidal. The swimming pool area is lovely with plenty of shade from the trees and umbrellas. The dining experience is a real pleasure, and the quality of the food is top notch. Not a family holiday destination as bures are set up for two, either twin beds or kingsize. The five-day stay was great; seven-day would be so relaxing.

Long review. Consider yourself warned. I travel a lot, for my book launches, for TV shows and for vacations. A lot. And in the decades I have been traveling I have never, ever, shed tears when I left a place, so perfect was my stay. Ever. Well there is a saying "never say never". Leaving Likuliku brought tears to my eyes. This place is magic. Let me tell you why in 20 points: -1- It is only 1 direct flight away from San Francisco and Los Angeles so Californians can now enjoy visiting Fiji more easily than before. -2- Likuliku does not belong to any international chain like St Regis, Four Seasons and the like, which gives it a local yet highly professional charm. Management is Fijian, ownership is Fijian. Employees are Fijian. This is Fiji for real. -3- Location is perfect: 45 min by speed boat from Nadi airport, 15 min by helicopter or seaplane. -4- Checkin/Checkout : Easy. Efficient. Smiling and caring. -5- Room (or "bure" in Fijian) : we started with Bure 13. I was surprised that in this hotel they have a room 13 (usually this one never gets assigned for obvious reasons). This bure, though on the beach, was overlooking the bay and the overwater bungalows. I really wanted an unobstructed view hence I asked for a bure on the other side of the main building and we got bure 46. The last on the beach, exactly what I was looking for! Well appointed with Pure Fiji products (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and shower gel). No paraben et al so don't bother bringing your own products, those are great! Expect a huge bathroom: separated toilet, large indoor shower, two separate sinks and the piece de resistance: an outdoor shower that you need to experience! Don't worry, nobody will see you as it is all very well laid out. If you need to work or write your vacation memories, a large desk with ample lights and outlets will do the job just right. Bed is comfortable and bedding is adapted to the heat. Wanna chill inside? You have a L-shaped sofa and a coffee table for that. There is a TV to watch DVDs but frankly who would want to watch TV when in Likuliku? Not me! Open your large sliding windows and your view is breath-taking: you have a small plunge pool (very nice when it is hot or simply coming back from the ocean to rinse yourself), a large day bed to rest or even sleep at night on and lounge chairs. A nice sense of privacy. -6- Maid service: Excellent. We stayed 2 weeks and our room was kept very clean (even though we did track quite some sand in!). There is a morning cleaning, an afternoon turndown and a visit from "the cookie" guy around 5 pm...He brings you freshly basked macadamia nut cookies, very hard to resist! Lati did an excellent job! -7- Activities: on the premises you can snorkel (really do it right there on the beach there is a very nice coral reef right in front of your room!), experience some sailing, kayak, stand up paddle and sometimes a game of volley or other cool games organized by the team a the Activity Center. These guys are nice and helpful and will make sure you have all you need. Now if you are into scuba diving they will set you up with SubSurface Fiji, a local diving company that's PADI certified and which has great equipment. Their staff is above par as well: Very nurturing and always smiling (a Fijian trademark!). Ask to go to Gotham City (weather permitting) and to Vonu range to get some great encounters with turtles and sleeping white tip sharks. You can also get PADI certified while you stay (it will take 3 days). Solo was the dive master who certified me and I highly recommend him as well as other really good professional people from SubSurface: Jango (took us to Gotham City so we love him for that of course!), Dels, Joni, etc... -8- Excursions: If you want to go out of the island and explore other parts of Fiji go through the front desk and Seta (the manager) will help you set up whatever you need. For us it was a seaplane to Nadi, a 4x4 to a small, remote village and a guide to climb a mountain. This ended up being one of the highlights of our stay as we got invited to share lunch with some cool local people in this village with no running water and no electricity. -9- Food.....WHY did I wait til point 9 for this one? Being that Likuliku is an all-inclusive you might be expecting blend buffets, basic food and boring burger and fries. You are in for a surprise! The Australian executive chef does wonders and I am going to write to the Michelin Guide to get him on their radar. Our tastebuds were tantalized at every meal with local and exotic ingredients. A combination of local cuisine and international fares executed with elegance. Plating is always a feat for the eyes as well. Deserts are out of this world. HOWEVER fret not! You will not gain weight for 2 reasons: Portions are small but sufficient AND you will be burning it all when you move around the island! I ate all my meals, never skipped one, ate all my desserts, but skipped bread and butter ("sega na bata, sega na madrai"....learned how to say it in Fijian!) and I lost weight! The menus are totally LeBootCamp friendly! They are pretty good on handling allergies but NOT perfect so if your allergy is life threatening always double-check everything that's served. You can choose from tables inside and tables outside...and there are 2 tables with a special vibe to them, on the beach. Make sure you reserve them on the day of your arrival as they are in high demand. -10- Service at restaurant and bars: Excellent. Friendly and efficient (ok, ok sometimes the wine came in its own Fijian time, but it's also that being on vacation...it means "stop being in a hurry"). Please note that there is no room service, which is GREAT. It allows you to mingle and meet people. I would love to praise a few of the people I personally connected with during my 2 weeks since I tried to learn Fijian and kept on bugging this poor guys constantly: How do you say coconut in Fijian? and "tomorrow" and "how are you", etc...they always answered and even sometimes "quizzed" me to check that I remember. Shout out: From the bottom of my heart thank you: Finau (who helped me with my first words and with a sticky situation :), Tevita for the Fijian lessons, Percy & Seru, Lepani for his huge smile, Bokini who truly took the time to help me and quizz me with my Fijian every single time our paths crossed, Matelita, Mere and Mere, and beautiful Seta. I am bringing your smiles in my memories and I shall come back to show you that not only have I not forgotten the words you have taught me but I have learned more! If I have forgotten a name I apologize but the tears in my eyes prevent me from remembering everything. -11- Music: Expect to eat while listening to a live band lunch and dinner. Great experience! The players can play guitar and sing! -12- Sense of belonging and friendship: Thanks to the absence of TV in the rooms if there is rugby game for instance everybody who is interested converges to the library (where you can borrow books for your stay). Watching a game with supporters from both sides is really fun..way more than being all alone in one's room. Make sure you go to the story telling times, music on the beach, local dances, and more...there is always something happening. -13- Get out! I mean get out of the beach :) There are nice trails around the island you can take...and if you walk on the beach towards the overwater bungalow for 45 min (at low tide) you will get to a small village called Yaro (or you can go by boat with the Activity Center). You can also go to church on Sunday and this is truly an experience I recommend. -14- Internet: It sucks and it is great! Thanks to its terrible low speed and all the blocked sites you are forced to get out of your room and have fun. So do NOT improve this part! -15- Spa: Basic, I mean really basic but you get awesome massages and staff is very friendly (I am repeating myself but it is true that the people here are so nice!). -16- Gym is small but has all you might want..However I only went there to check it out. Who wants to be indoor lifting weights when you can be tickling white tip sharks at 20 m? -17- You have to meet with Sia, the Environment Program Manager. He will introduce you to the iguanas they rescue and help re-introduce in the wild, to the plants he is growing to re-implant in the forest while removing foreign invasive species. -18- Oops! Forgot to mention the beautiful free-form pool! I only used it to get my scuba diving certification but it is beautiful. And does great instagram photos! -19 Please leave me a room there I am afraid that after my review I will never be able to book a room again! We will be back! -20- Room for improvement: a) I would have loved a yoga mat to do a few stretches in the morning. b) Please consider installing filtered water fountains to get rid of the Fiji water plastic bottles. First the water from the hotel is excellent so no need to order Fiji Water but second all this bottling, shipping et al is taxing for the planet.